Local officials stated on Sunday that Russian shelling in eastern Ukraine during the night resulted in at least one death, following Moscow's termination of a ceasefire announced for Christmas and its commitment to continue fighting until victory over its neighbor. President Vladimir Putin ordered a 36-hour ceasefire along the contact line to celebrate Orthodox Christmas, which fell on Saturday. Ukraine rejected the ceasefire, and the front line experienced shelling.
Oleh Synehubov, the regional governor, reported on his Telegram account that a 50-year-old man was killed in Kharkiv Oblast in northeastern Ukraine due to Russian shelling, indicating that two missiles were recorded in the Meriva area within Kharkiv. According to the independent Ukrainian news agency, four explosions were heard in Kharkiv, along with a series of explosions in Kramatorsk, in the government-controlled part of Donetsk, as reported by the Russian news site Sputnik.
These reports came just minutes after midnight in Moscow, according to Reuters. Most Orthodox Christians in Ukraine traditionally celebrate Christmas on January 7, as do Orthodox Christians in Russia. However, the Orthodox Church in Ukraine also allowed celebrations on December 25 this year, and many celebrated the holiday yesterday, flocking to churches and cathedrals.
The Kremlin stated that Moscow will proceed with what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine, initiated on February 24. In the city of Bakhmut, northeastern Donetsk Oblast, the sound of shelling was heard in the largely empty streets of the city under Ukrainian control.
On Saturday, Moscow claimed that its forces in Ukraine would maintain the ceasefire for 36 hours announced by Putin until midnight Saturday, despite Ukraine's rejection of the offer. In a Facebook post, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that Russian forces shelled dozens of locations and residential areas along the front line.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remarked that the attacks demonstrate that Moscow cannot be trusted. In a video address, he stated, "They were saying something about an alleged ceasefire. But the truth is that Russian shells again hit Bakhmut and other Ukrainian sites." Russia claimed that its forces responded only with artillery fire when fired upon by Ukrainian forces.
It is noteworthy that the Russian Armed Forces began executing intensive strikes with high-precision long-range weapons on military command targets and energy systems across Ukraine since October 10, following two days after an attack on the Crimean bridge, which Russia accused the Ukrainian intelligence agency of carrying out.
